Summer Chicken

My other cute sis-in-law, Chelsea is quite a gourmet cook, and beat us all of us sisters to the "cooking blog" thing when she started her "Increasingly Delicious" blog for a worthy cause, dedicated to Amy Jo "in the hopes that she will be able to find joy in cooking for her family with alternate ingredients. It is a collection of tested recipes that are fairly simple and that avoid: wheat (or gluten), corn (starch or syrup), dairy, cheese (small amounts of mozarella are ok), cream cheese, potatoes, (or potato starch), carbonation, caffeine, and peanuts." Chels is such a good woman! Not to mention a good cook! Amy Jo made this for us and I decided it was some of THE BEST chicken I have ever tasted! This one is going on my favorites list. I don't know how I missed it! Don't pass this one up! Fresh and SO SUMMER in your mouth! Love the lemon flavor (Amy said to be careful follow the instructions and just "douse" the chicken in lemon-- however tempted you may be drown it and not waste the marinade, or it will taste too strong.) The squash and cheese are the perfect mix! Just love this one! Let's hear it for awesome sisters-in-law!!! :)

Chels said about this recipe, "This is the first recipe that I made just for you, Amy. It inspired me to start this collection."

Summer Chicken for Amy Jo

By Chelsea Romney

4 Tablespoons of butter
3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (depending on size)
Salt and Pepper (or lemon pepper)
Lemon Juice
Thyme
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 splash of Italian dressing (optional)

Place 4 Tablespoons of butter in a 9X13 glass dish and place in oven. Turn oven to 350. Prep Chicken

Douse both sides of chicken in Lemon Juice (fresh is always the best). Season both sides of chicken with salt, (lemon) pepper, and thyme.

When the butter is melted, take the pan out of the oven, place the chicken in the hot butter in the pan and let it brown for about 30 seconds, then flip it over to brown the other side. Toss the sliced vegetables on top of the chicken. Splash with Italian dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Take off foil about 10 minutes before the chicken is done to brown the cheese on top.

Note: The trick to juicy chicken is to make sure it is not overbaked. Keep checking it and slicing it open until it is no longer pink at the thickest part.